David Kimmerles 56 F-100

One look at the quality fit 'n'finish of David Kimmerle's green '56 F-100 and you'll speculate that a Henry Ford-built truck never looked this good sitting on the showroom floor. Former owner Ed Warren would be challenged to recognize his time-worn pickup- the confirmed crowd-pleaser won the Trucker's Choice award at the '01 F-100 Supernationals in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. A major part of the truck’s appeal is its Lincoln Mark VIII 32-valve engine. “Much of the credit for the success of this conversion goes to Mark Campbell and the guys at Street & Performance,” states Rod Palmer of Arizona Street Rods. “They worked closely with us on the computer and wiring.

Another individual that deserves thanks is Harold Nicely, who handles the chores of getting this beautiful truck to events such as the F-100 Supernats- and for keeping it spotless. Everywhere Kimmerle's truck has been displayed, it's won awards. It's by consensus one of the best F-100 trucks in the country.

Drivetrain: Under the hood is a polished and plated DOHC Lincoln Mark VIII with 32 valves hooked to an electronically operated automatic overdrive transmission with a column-mounted shifter. A K&N air filter, polished intake, and custom spark plug wire covers are but a few of the modifications to the mighty Mark VIII. Underneath this immaculate cruiser you'll find a custom exhaust system fabricated by Rob McCabe of Chino Valley, Arizona, with Borla Performance 2-inch stainless steel tubes and mufflers. The exhaust has a dual Y-system. The 9-inch rearend was borrowed from a Lincoln Versailles and is mounted via a TCI four-link.

Chassis: The smoothed Anthracite Gray framerails are boxed, and new crossmembers accommodate the updated drivetrain, which is cooled by a Ron Davis cross-flow aluminum radiator. Heidt’s SupeRide IFS with polished Aldan Eagle coilovers completes the front suspension. Steering is updated with a power Omni/Horizon rack-and-pinion.

Wheels & Tires: Kimmerle employed the ever-popular Budnik Famosa for his F-truck—16x7s in front and 17x10s in the rear with BFGoodrich tires—225/60ZR16 in front and 255/60ZR17 out back.

Body: Arizona Street Rods in Phoenix, Arizona, completed a few custom touches, filled the cab vents, and prepped the truck for paint. A flush-mounted center high-mounted safety lamp (CHMSL) is located in the back of the cab. Other details include a reverse-opening hood with a Carolina Customs’ mechanism. ASR also boxed the bumpers and shortened the bumper brackets. Notice the smoothed (no exposed bolts) running boards and the cutouts for side exhaust. Also check out the bedrails that have been enclosed and smoothed.

Paint: PPG Vermont Green, a ’98 Ford color, covers the extremely straight body panels painted by Arizona Street Rods. Interior: Behind a matching Budnik steering wheel the stock dash was moved to the left 1 inch (to center the steering wheel in front of the instrument panel). Fresh steel was also added to the bottom of the dash to accommodate the Air-Tique A/C that was customized by ASR. Lance Troup handled the buckskin-colored Swedish leather upholstery. Dakota Digital instruments are wired through a Ron Francis’ Wire Works wiring panel. Also, a 600-watt amplifier powers a Pioneer AM/FM/CD stereo, with Rockford-Fosgate speakers.